Ridgefield attorney acted quickly in the wake of Binghamton tragedy

RIDGEFIELD -- Ridgefield attorney Tom Belote has been able to move beyond the helplessness so many feel in the wake of the mass shootings at an immigrant aid center in Binghamton, N.Y.

Belote is chairman of the

U.S. Committee for Refugees
and Immigrants, a national organization with its headquarters in Arlington, Va. In his official capacity, Belote was able to act quickly on Friday when he received word of a gunman opening fire at the
American Civic Association
in Binghamton, killing 13 people.
Belote contacted the executive director and the chief executive officer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and had three of the organization's senior staffers sent to Binghamton to make sure the surviving victims receive the support they need.
Layla Khali

, 57, the Iraqi woman killed in the shootings Friday, had been relocated to Binghamton just eight months before by Belote's organization.
Khali came to the U.S. after surviving three car bombings in Iraq. She had been a teacher in Iraq and was taking English classes at the American Civic Association to start teaching again. Her daughter recently received a master's degree from
Binghamton University
and her son is a senior at
Binghamton High School
.
"As chairman of the board, I have an obligation to assure our organization acts quickly on a tragedy such as this," Belote said Monday. "We had to act on a same-day basis. The care of resettled refugees is very delicate. They have special needs and when a partner agency is disabled, we have to act."
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has assisted in the relocation of numerous refugees to Binghamton since 1939, working with the American Civic Association as a partner agency in that city. It is contracted by the U.S. government and the

Office of Refugee Resettlement
for its expertise in dealing with refugee relocation.
Most of the other victims were immigrants, too, coming from China, Philippines, Brazil, Haiti, Vietnam and Pakistan.
The gunman, identified as
Jiverly Wong
, 41, a Vietnamese immigrant, also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities said the gunman had felt degraded by his inability to speak English and was upset by the recent loss of his job.
Eskinder Negash
, vice president and Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, said Monday the victims of Friday's shooting were like family to the members of his organization.
"Three of our senior staffers were immediately dispatched to Binghamton," Negash said. "They will visit every refugee that has been settled in the area since 2005. They will provide counseling and work with a local mental health agency, making home visits."
Negash said refugees relocated by his organization are always sent to join family members already in the states.
He commended Belote for his quick action in the face of the Binghamton tragedy, saying Belote not only saw to it that the senior staffers were immediately sent to the scene, but also contacted New York senators